Internet Shows It’s Influence By Killing Off SOPA

On Wednesday, the Internet protested SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and its counterpart bill in the Senate, PIPA. Yesterday, we saw the effects of that protest. Both SOPA and PIPA were effectively killed off. In the Senate, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has suspended debate on PIPA “indefinitely”, while in the House, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has seen the writing on the wall, and has withdrawn the bill. After Thursday’s protests, numerous members of Congress changed their minds and switched to opposing the acts. Interestingly, the vast majority of Senators and Congressmen who changed their opinions were Republicans. While a few Democrats did switch over, most stayed in support. The resulting contrast has startled the often liberal-leaning tech blogosphere while angering the wacky left-wing blogosphere. In any case, this isn’t the end of this fight, as no doubt Congress will try to bring this up again in another form, as the “Big Hollywood” lobby is too strong. But for now, victory for the Internet and for freedom.